OCEAN CITY, Md.- The Worcester County Health Department says COVID-19 cases are spiking, but there are multiple contributing factors.
"We've really aggressively expanded our testing within the last two to four weeks," Public Affairs Officer Travis Brown said.
Tourists are also a factor. "Every year Ocean City becomes the second or third largest city in Maryland during the summer, especially on the weekends. So with that much of a massive increase in population, there's going to be a massive increases in cases," he said.
From July 1-19, the Health Department says it has assisted with more than 1,000 tests during the time period. Restaurants and bars have also had multiple people test positive for COVID-19, resulting in voluntary shutdowns.
"It’s difficult to draw direct connections with businesses and cases, but non-compliance with social distancing and face covering mandates greatly increases the risk of spreading COVID-19. We want to remind the public to continue to wear face coverings, practice social distancing, stay home if sick and frequently wash your hands," the Health Department said in a released statement.
Atlantic General Hospital President and CEO Michael Franklin says the hospital has expanded its ICU capacity and is prepared to handle the spike.
"We've modified some of our facilities to accommodate patients who require ICU care by changing air flow and things like that. During this time, we've also had the opportunity to build up PPE and build up a supply to again keep people safe while we again care for these folks."
The Health Department is urging bars and restaurants to remain vigilant. It says complaint calls have been pouring in about bars and restaurants that are non-compliant.
Brown says as of Tuesday, 160 complaints have been filed with Environmental Health over the past couple of weeks. The Health Department says masks and social distancing in bars and restaurants are a must to help stop the spread of COVID-19.